And then the pain was gone
by Orison
Summary: Just a short Bosco/Faith vignette. And a sad one. Warning: Character death.


And then the pain was gone 

*** 

_Because I could not stop for Death, _

_He kindly stopped for me. _

_The carriage held but just ourselves _

_And immortality. _

_ - Emily Dickinson _

*** 

"Bos?" 

"Yeah." 

"I'm cold." 

"I know. Just hold on, okay? They're gonna be here soon." 

Bosco slowly straightened in his seat and turned his head, facing away from Faith, unable to hold his partner's gaze. Pain rippled through his bruised ribs at the movement and he fought to catch his breath as he gently rubbed the spot where the steering wheel had impacted with his chest. 

He wished he could move, get them out of the tangled mess that had once been their RMP, but the front of the car had been almost destroyed in the accident, crushing his legs so bad he could barely feel them. 

He closed his eyes and wondered if help would ever get there on time or Death would claim them before anyone could actually find them, and for a moment he wished He would take him first. 

Anything was better than watching his best friend die. 

Faith was the worst off. She hadn't been wearing her seatbelt and he could tell from her laboured breathing it was only a matter of time before she lost her battle. 

A lonely tear trickled down his cheek and he angrily wiped it away. Why Faith? She sure didn't deserve to die. Not in front of him anyway. 

They weren't even supposed to take the call. 

55-David had been requested as a back-up unit because Sullivan and Davis were complaining about being stuck in the traffic and their suspect was running right in their direction. Bosco hadn't been too pleased at first, but then the idea of an exciting chase had finally convinced him. 

They'd followed the man for several blocks, out of the city center and through the suburbs, passing deserted streets and abandoned buildings until the guy had slammed his car into a light pole. 

Bosco was close behind and had had no time to stop the squad. He braked hard and tried to swerve, but the RMP was already out of control and he found himself unable to maneuver it. The screeching of metal mixed with the sound of their own screams as the car struck the other vehicle and its wheels rose up. 

It bounced off, then rolled, toppling again and again as the windows blew into a million pieces, the front crumpled toward the center and the roof caved in. 

Then after what seemed like ages, it finally crashed to the ground, leaving a trail of metal and glass and no witnesses behind. 

*** 

"This should have stitches." Faith whispered, staring at the cut that sliced Bosco's right eyebrow and drawing him out of his thoughts. 

"It's nothing." He muttered. "How about you?" 

"Me? I... I'm not even sure anymore. I'm hurting all over." 

"Don't worry, help's gonna be here soon." He lied, trying to sound confident. "Everything's gonna be okay." 

Faith's lips broke into a small smile. "Stop lying to me for my own good, Bos. I know I'm going to die." 

Bosco's brow creased. "And you're okay with that?" 

"Of course not." She said, shaking her head. "But it's not like... I can do anything about it..." 

"I know." 

He blinked back another tear. _This is not right_, he thought to himself. _This is not how it was supposed to end._ He hated being helpless, yet right now the only thing he could do was sit in the damn car and wait for the inevitable. 

He knew their suspect was dead, his own body crushed in his seat by the force of the impact, and he didn't recall seeing any sign of life around. 

Unless a junkie had seen the accident and called for help there was almost zero chance that someone would notice them or what was left of the white and blue cruiser. 

They were going to die, but that didn't mean he couldn't try and make their last moments special. He owed it to Faith. 

She'd been been drifting in and out of consciousness, and every time he feared she would not wake up again. 

"Faith?" he called, touching her hand. 

She opened her eyes and looked at him, a pained expression on her face as she tried to take in her surroundings. Reality set in a few moments later, and she wondered how much time had passed. 

"Do you remember the day we first met?" 

Another smile curved her lips. "How could I forget? You... looked like an ass." 

Bosco chuckled. "Maybe. But then I kinda grew on you, didn't I?" 

"You sure did." She replied, trying to concentrate on clearing away the dizziness that threatened to overwhelm her. "You know, I... I thought you were... hitting on me." 

"What?" 

"At the Academy. You said you'd been watching me, and I thought..." 

"I was." He admitted, interrupting her. 

Faith stared at him, her eyes wide with surprise. 

"But then you said you were married and I... you know, played it cool. Tried to act like I didn't care." 

"But you did." 

He lowered his gaze. "Yeah. Yeah, I did." 

"And you never told me." 

Bosco shook his head. "You had a family, Faith. One of the best things that can happen in life. And you were happy. Who was I to ruin all that?" 

Faith reached over and gently laid her hand on top of his. Silence filled the battered car for an unknown lenght of time, drowning all the other sounds with its power as they just looked at each other. 

"Thanks." She finally whispered. 

"For what?" 

"For being there for me all these years. You have no idea how much that means to me. More than I'll ever be able to tell you." 

A hundred thoughts were running through his mind as he listened to her words. Why, why did this have to happen? Why were they forced to leave before they even had a chance to experience what true happiness could be? 

There wasn't enough time for them, and they both knew it. That changed everything, changing every priority they might've had. Or maybe it just ordered them correctly for the first time. 

Even though the movement hurt like hell, Bosco leaned closer and kissed her softly on the lips. 

The move surprised her, but she didn't pull back. 

"What was that for?" 

"You're the best thing that happened to my life, Faith. Just my way to say thank you. Besides, it's not like anyone's going find out..." 

"Our last day together..." she sighed, letting the words sink in, thinking about their meaning. "What do you regret, Bosco? What would you do now if you could?" 

The question lingered in the air as he searched his mind for the right answer. 

"A family." He said without hesitation. "I regret never having a family of my own, never being able to prove myself I could be a better father than my old man was." 

"I'm sure you'd have been a great father, Bos." She said, swallowing hard, trying to catch her breath. "You're good with kids. Em and Charlie... they love you." 

Sadness washed over her as she thought about her own children and she pressed a hand to her mouth, unable to stop the tears as they flowed down her cheeks. 

"Oh God..." she moaned. The unmistakeable sound of pain, physical and emotional. 

"I'm sorry, Faith." Bosco apologized. "I wish I could do something..." 

"It's okay." She reassured him, brushing away the tears. "What I regret most is not spending enough time with my kids. I hope they realize just how much I loved them..." 

"They know. Trust me, they do." 

"What's this noise?" she suddenly asked. 

"Nothing." He quickly replied as he heard the small drops of gas leak from the car. "Don't worry about it." 

He'd been aware of it for a couple of minutes but didn't have the heart to tell her the vehicle could explode at any moment. _The subject. Change the subject. _

"Another thing I regret is... we won't be together anymore. I wonder what'd have happened if... if I'd told you how I really felt." 

He couldn't help thinking that maybe that kiss had marked a beginning,as if God had been cruel enough to show them a glimpse of what could've been but now never would. 

"Do you believe in heaven?" 

The question came out of the blue, surprising him. 

"Heaven..." he sighed, resting his head against the windowframe. "Well, I mean, I've never been a religious guy but... I like to think there's some place like that. Call it heaven or whatever you want but I think good people deserve some happiness if they suffered in life."

She nodded her head, obviously pleased with the answer. "Then there's a chance we can be together again..." 

"I really hope so." 

"Are you afraid of dying?" 

"You know what, I can't even remember the last time we had such a serious conversation..." he smiled, once again trying to collect his thoughts. "No, I'm not scared. I wouldn't be a cop if I was. It just pisses me off, that's all. I mean, I don't want to die, but then again it's not my decision to make." 

He paused for a moment, fighting off the pain in his legs, then spoke again. 

"I just hope we made a difference out there. That's... that's why I put the uniform on." 

"They're going to remember us." She stated as she squeezed his hand. " And I think... I think we did make a difference. Good cops always do." 

"Thanks, Faith." 

"You're welcome." 

Faith closed her eyes and let herself drift off. She could've sworn she heard sirens approaching a few minutes later, but she couldn't tell if they were real or it was just her tired mind playing tricks on her. 

*** 

"Bos?" 

"Yeah." 

"I'll... see you in heaven." 

Bosco looked at her one last time, then leaned his head back and closed his own eyes, just as the loud bang of the car exploding shattered the silence. 

THE END 


End file.
